PTSD treatment can include different types of therapy and medication. There is no set duration of posttraumatic stress disorder treatment. Treatment for PTSD can take months or years. The first part of treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder often includes educating the person about what PTSD is and an explanation of the common symptoms.
Individual cognitive therapy and family therapy can be the foundation of PTSD treatment. The individual with PTSD needs therapeutic support when coping with the symptoms. The role of the therapist may be to teach the person ways to cope with flashbacks, nightmares, and other symptoms. The person often needs to learn how to cope with the symptoms before therapy can even begin to address the traumatic cause of the PTSD.
Exposure therapy is a therapeutic approach to the traumatic cause of PTSD. Gradually, the individual is to recount the memories that the person has of the traumatic event. It is not uncommon for the person to have blanks in the memory of the trauma. The therapist may gently push the person to remember and tell more of the events of the trauma in each desensitization session. In some cases, the location of the trauma may be revisited.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a type of therapy that looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected. The therapist may assist the individual in challenging negative thoughts that stem from the trauma or were reinforced by the trauma. The individual’s interpretations of the traumatic event may be explored.
Eye movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) addresses the cause of PTSD more effectively than many other therapeutic approaches. It is believed that for people with PTSD, the memory of the trauma becomes stuck in intense, fractured segments. An example of how this shows in people with PTSD is the emotionally-charged flashbacks which are stuck memories of portions of the event while the person with PTSD may be unable to recall other parts of the trauma.
EMDR uses clicking or repetitive eye movement while the person is retelling the traumatic event. The goal of EMDR therapy is to unfreeze the stuck memories and help the individual integrate the memory of the trauma as a whole with less emotional intensity attached to it.
Group therapy and support groups are often helpful for people with PTSD. An individual with PTSD may feel alone or isolated. They may feel that no one understands the trauma and how it has affected them. By meeting with a group of people with similar trauma or PTSD, the person gets a sense that there are people who understand what they are going through. It can also be helpful when members of the group share things that have been helpful for them.
Family therapy is often used as part of the treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. The family as a whole often suffers the effects of PTSD due to the individual’s symptoms. Family therapy is also helpful to show the person with PTSD that they have support and to educate the family about PTSD and its effects.
Medication may be used to treat anxiety, depression, and sleep problems caused by the PTSD. Antidepressants that are in the SSRI category like Paxil or Zoloft are most commonly used to treat PTSD. Treatment plans for PTSD are highly individualized. One person’s PTSD treatment is a collection of tools and PTSD treatments that help to reduce the severity and frequency of the symptoms which is likely to differ from the treatment of another person undergoing treatment for PTSD.